Devices, such as swabs, for collecting biological specimens of organic material are known in the field of clinical and diagnostic analyses, which generally include a cylindrical rod or stick containing on a collection end or tip a wad of fiber material, such as rayon or a natural fiber such as cotton, with hydrophilic properties to allow rapid absorption of the quantity of specimen to be collected and tested. Stable adherence of the fiber wrapped around the end or tip of the rod or stick is generally achieved by gluing.
Collection swabs containing the collected material are often immersed in a culture media, such as in a test tube, vial, culture dish, or culture bottle, soon or immediately after collection to preserve and conserve the collected specimen during storage and/or transport to, for example, an analytical laboratory. Collection swabs and devices of the prior art are described, for example, in EP0643131 and WO2004/086979.